Which System?

He cannot build this relationship because he doesn't play as a winger.

 

But that's a silly point. Anya is a different kind of winger to anything we have so I don't understand why we have to compare against him. That's like saying O Grady is **** because he isn't as good as Van Persie.

JOB is a winger that should just get into good areas and whip the ball in, which he did when he came on. Which he did far better than any other BFC player on the pitch did.

I'd like you to compare to one of our wide right players who is a better option rather than a player from a far better opposition.

 

Enya

[video=youtube;EO5BqksiPyA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO5BqksiPyA[/video]

Steve Hughes is playing the assembly rooms in Barnsley in November. I highly recommend. He's not paying me for this btw, I don't know him.

 

In 3 years playing principally as an attacking player Jim has assisted 8 goals and scored 5. This just isn't good enough. A goal every 20 games an assist every 12 (rough figures). He's another great lad but we need better quality. Either developed from within, using the resources we have or loaned in. For all the players recruited we are weak down the right hand side.

 

I have not been impressed with what I have seen so far. I have not made my mind up yet and McCourt will get his chance again. I have been watching O,Brien for three years. Plenty long enough to make up my mind.

I do hope that you are not comparing the quality of O'Brien's crossing with that of Nicky Eaden. Eaden was one of the finest crossers of a ball ever to play in the red shirt. You are right, Eaden did not beat his man, but he did pick the intended recipient out and he bent the cross so that the angle of the cross favoured the attacker.

I do not question your authority to hold the opinion that you do. I just do not agree with it.

 

He's not been played as a winger for almost 2 years. His real position.

 

I'm not saying JOB is Messi, I was merely stating that he had a positive impact on Saturday and deserves to keep his place. I haven't seen anybody in our squad that is better for that position so far this season.

 

Yes he did have a positive impact on Saturday though Watford were cruising by then. We are weak down that side though I suspect RNL could play down the right if asked.

 

Having known Nicky since he was about 15 years old and still speak to him regularly I can guarantee that the vast majority of times he whipped the ball in to areas rather than aiming for a particular player. That all happened on the training pitch where drill after drill was practiced but it was more about getting the strikers onto the end of the crossed rather than the crosser picking out an individual. I have no problem with you having your beliefs, I'm trying to educate you to what actually happens in real life.

Oh and by the way, I wasn't comparing JOBs crossing ability to that of Nicky, have a read back. I used Nicky as someone who did it well.

 

This part of the thread originates from one sentence in my reply to Dyson which questioned his assertion that we have the wingers to play 4-5-1-1. I believe that we are weak in that position, and unfortunately, O'Brien, a player that I do not rate highly, is probably our best option currently for that position. However, that does not make him a good player. It simply illustrates that how poorly I rate his competition.

The reason I made the comparison to Anya is because his quality is fresh in everyone's memory and it illustrates the difference in quality between the two teams. Many posters argue that Flitcroft has strengthened his squad and simply needs to pick the right system, or pick the right team or pick the players in their proper positions. I argue that whilst he has more players, he does not have better quality players and since we can only field 11 players at a time, quality is more important than quanitity.

 

You obviously have contacts in the game which I do not have. Thank-you for "educating" me. I am all for education.

However, I suspect your account of your experience as a winger, and that of Nicky Eaden has been simplified in order to make it easier for me to understand. Surely it is all about the time that the winger has available to him to cross the ball. If he has plenty of time he will naturally take that time to pick out the pass to the forward. When that time is reduced, he will hit the ball into a general area. The better players make more time because of their pace or balance and therefore able to deliver better and more accurate passes. The problem for O'Brien is that he does not have that time.

 

Oooooh handbags...

 

What this thread does show is that all agree Flictcroft's formation and/or selection is wrong, but that few people on here actually agree what it should be.

The fact he bought Jennings and McCourt suggests he wants to play 442, at least some of the time. We do have three central defenders who can also play left and right back, so perhaps we should use that opportunity to play them there instead of looking at replacements.


-------------------- Steele ----------------------------

Ramage ----- Cranie ----- M'Voto ----- Nyatanga

Jennings ----- Etuhu ----- Mellis ----- RNL

------------ O'Grady ----- Pederson ---------------



If he wants to go 5-3-2 then i'd go for the following with Digby as a deep lying playmaker who pushes up into central midfield when Mellis goes forward/walk about.


---------------------- Steele ----------------------------

---------- Cranie ---- Ramage -- Nyatanga ---------------

Wiseman ------------- Digby ------------------------- RNL

--------------Mellis ------------- Etuhu ------------------

------------O'Grady -------------- Pederson -------------



or


---------------------- Steele ----------------------------

---------- Cranie ---- Ramage -- Nyatanga ---------------

Wiseman -------------------------------------------- RNL

-------------- Dibgy ------------ Etuhu ------------------

-----------------------Mellis ----------------------------

------------O'Grady -------------- Pederson -------------

 

The main difference between Butterfield and Perkins is that one of them is a quality player who makes the ball do the work and the other is less talented and therefore has to do the work himself.

 

Personally I'm a big fan of 3-5-2 with wing backs. I think that system with Stones and Goldy brought about our resurgence last season. I think Reuben is ready for a run in that position and will be very successful at it and perhaps Scott or Jimbo are best suited on the other side. In the middle we can have Perks and Etuhu with a truly attack minded player in front - Mellis/Jennings/McCourt and then we can also play the 2 strikers with COG and Pedersen being first choice at the mo with Jason close behind.

It was all too late but we matched Watford at the beginning of the second half that way and I think its a flexible and balanced system with which you can overload going forward or tighten with a back five and two in front if you're under the cosh.

 

I agree but that isn't often the case

 

I would have thought the smiley face gave away the fact that I was messing but what the hey, I suppose if you did feel ever so slightly patronised then you might know how we have felt like from time to time.

 

O'Grady is without doubt our key player. He has strength, height, a good touch and finish. He does drift off to the left to find space to receive the ball though. This leaves our other striker isolated. The only other striker we have on the books that is capable of playing that role alongside O'Grady is Pedersen because he's used to playing up top on his own. Scotland may be able to play there at a pinch.

The question is who we should play to support O'Grady while Pedersen is injured. We're not making the most of utilising the space he creates. We play him alongside a diminutive Dagnall who becomes isolated because we also play no attacking midfielders to make forward runs and support him.

We desperately need Pedersen back as he's ideal to play alongside O'Grady. He doesn't need to play with/close to a strike partner. Once he's back I can see the pair of them creating goals for each other without the help of any midfielders. We won't matter so much that we're not playing a creative midfielder.

So with a fully fit squad I'd have no qualms going with a 4-4-2.

Wiseman Cranie Ramage Kennedy/RNL
Winger Etuhu Perkins Winger
O'Grady Pedersen

Not only can O'Grady and Pedersen create chances themselves, they should also thrive off crosses from wingers like they did against Huddersfield. They're both big lads. I'd like to see Jennings and McCourt play there as they can both beat a man and stretch the opposition. Everything we do now is in front of their back 4.

 

O'Grady and Pedersen are probably going to be our biggest assets in terms of winning games - therefore for me we probably need to be playing 3-5-2 with one of the creative players (Mellis/McCourt/Cywka/Jennings) behind the front two.

If one of the above isn't fit, then you could look at 4-5-1, but we can't play 4-4-2 very well this season for me because we're not good enough defensively.

 

Didn't even notice the smiley face to be honest.

I regret that I am perceived as patronising and condescending and you are by no means the first to make the accusation. I really have trouble recognising the trait in myself or my ramblings. Please do not hesitate to point out to me when I do it again, and perhaps with enough examples I will be able to locate and correct that which annoys everybody.